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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

More Snow White Film News

It's shaping up to be Snow White versus Snow White in 2012. Relativity Media just announced a June 29, 2012 release date for their Untitled Snow White Movie. They also revealed that Julia Roberts has been cast as the evil queen in the Tarsem-directed adaptation, which is the second Snow White project officially announced for next year.

The movie, which is being produced by Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley and Brett Ratner, appears to be a reimagining of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It's plot is described as such: "After her evil stepmother kills her father and destroys the kingdom, Snow White bands together with a gang of seven quarrelsome dwarfs to reclaim what is rightly hers."

This release date is nearly six months ahead of Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman, which was scheduled for Dec. 21, 2012, over three months ago. That movie has already locked its three main leads, casting Viggo Mortensen as the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as the queen.

Oscar-winning "Little Miss Sunshine" scribe Michael Arndt is in negotiations to work on the script for Disney's "Snow and the Seven," one of three rival Snow White projects in the works.

Additionally production designer John Myhre, an Oscar winner for his work on "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Chicago," has been brought on board to begin creating the worlds of the fairy tale, which is set in 19th century China.

Yes, China.

The project, which Disney has been developing since 2002, centres on a 19th century Englishwoman who returns to her Hong Kong home for her father's funeral, only to discover that her stepmother is plotting against her. She escapes to mainland China, finding solace among a rogue band of seven international warriors.

Francis Lawrence has been on board to direct since early on, even as a slew of writers has taken turns at the script. Arndt last week picked up an Oscar nomination for co-writing "Toy Story 3."

With all systems go for "Snow," the big question is Natalie Portman's involvement. She has been circling the project since last year, but her pregnancy could hinder her ability to undertake a physically intense movie that will feature several different fighting styles.

The Brothers Grimm: Snow White has found its Evil Queen. EW has confirmed that, as rumored, Julia Roberts will be playing the villainous role for the Brett Ratner-produced film for Relativity, which starts production in April. This project, of course, is not to be confused with Snow White and the Huntsman; that Universal film, which may feature Kristen Stewart in the role of Snow White, will likely star Charlize Theron as its Evil Queen. (Viggo Mortensen is in talks for the Huntsman role.)